The pair of rogue criminals remained mute while they made their way to Erin's apartment building. He kept his hands in his pockets so his robot hand wouldn't show as they journeyed down the lanes. She hid her palms under her armpits to warm up her fingers and for better access in case she needed to jump through a portal. Filled with mixed emotions, Erin wondered why he tracked her down; she had hurt enough people in her life already, hopefully he didn't need her assistance in stealthily murdering someone. Although, she had picked up an air of desperation from him. It was unsettling that he found her so quickly; she had just molded herself back into a semi-normal life style. Difficult as it was to make genuine friends with a fake name, she had a routine and a certain demeanor to uphold. However, he helped her from bleeding out and inadvertently provided her a place to escape from SHIELD; she owed him. Maybe it would be different if he wasn't known for his remarkable mortal combat abilities and marksman talents. There was no way she could defend herself against him; what could she do? Jump through walls and hold him back? She always saw herself as a lover, not a fighter. Regardless if he needed legitimate aid, she was obliged to help.

Continuing the theme of silence discussion the entire way to her floor in her community building, Erin used her home keys to unlock the front door, entertaining a short thought of her running away. Similar to when she had Fury and Romanoff pinned to the wall, she quickly tossed the idea out of her mind. Revenge wasn't her anymore; and getting accustomed to running was no way to live. Besides, she couldn't let The Winter Soldier down; he found her once, what's stopping him from doing it again? She would just have to cut down some walls and barriers first, get passed the obvious soldier aspect and learn more about the man underneath.

"We'll be safe here," she assured him while stepping over the threshold.

He didn't answer, only followed her inside. Flipping on the kitchen light, Erin quickly shut the door and locked it; routine for her every time she got home. The Winter Soldier was standing tall and completely out of place. It was obvious that he didn't belong in such a homely environment. According to the articles she read online, he was born in battle and used only as a weapon. A part of her pitied him; no one deserved to be treated in such a way. He glossed over the small couch, her coffee table, and the few generic picture frames hanging on her wall. Erin allowed him to soak up all the little details of her flat; he might not get another chance to just look at a normal living room.

"No cameras, bugs, or wires here," she attempted to break the ice again, "I would know." She slipped her thin coat off and draped it over a chair, still cautiously watching him. He would step towards some object, like a vase full of fake flowers or her computer, and act as though he had a question about it; he never asked. Erin gave a soft sigh and decided to sit on her couch. "You don't have to stand the entire time."

Finally, he looked back to her. He saw her sitting and sat next to her, hunched forward and still hiding his face. She saw him remove his hands and cupped them together.

"What brings you to Dallas?" she inquired.

He fidgeted with his hands, physically displaying his nerves and hesitation. "A mission."

"Is it me?" Erin couldn't help but blurt out her fear.

"You would already be dead," he failed to appease her worries.

"That's comforting," she muttered more to herself than to him.

Without picking up his head he acknowledged her response, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The Shadow Stranger wanted to scoff at him, but she didn't dare offend him. He was clearly conflicted, pissing him off would only end badly for her. So, she bit her bottom lip and lingered in silence.

When she didn't answer, The Winter Soldier glanced up at her, still twiddling with his fingers, "I won't." His tone was sincere and honest; she found a trace of a promise in those words.

Erin lightly cleared her throat and relaxed a little, easing her back against the cushions. "Okay, so, why find me?"

"Do you remember when you asked if I had any questions for you?" He watched the wild haired woman sternly nod, "I do."

"These must be pretty important since you tracked me half way across the country," Erin tried to add a humorous tone to their conversation, it didn't work.

"Incredibly," his face grew grim. He lifted the hat off his head and tossed it to the coffee table, so he could rack his hair back in frustration.

"Well, you've got me," she said behind a weak smile, clinging onto the fantasy of some lighthearted discussion.

"How do I know you'll answer truthfully?"

"Uh, well," she wasn't sure how to respond to him, so she went with the authentic version, "You can't. But, I remember what you did for me a month ago. I want to repay you to the best of my abilities."

He nodded and sighed; Erin didn't know what to expect from him. It was difficult enough to pinpoint how old he was, or even his name. What kind of questions would he need answers to? "Alright," he muttered under his breath, "Are you with HYDRA?"

"Hell no; I don't even know what they stand for," she answered, with a more genuine smile. It was meant as a comforting gesture to him; The Winter Soldier simply watched her facial features carefully.

"How did you get me out of the cryo stasis chamber?"

Erin swallowed all of her courage, and whatever was left of her hopes for a pleasant conversation, "I'm not entirely sure. I was blacking out, desperate for anyone to help me. Saw the lock and used my shadows to open it. I can't actually remember how I deciphered it, but I'm thankful that I did."

"Where did you get those shadows? How can you bend them to your will?"

She guessed that he didn't know about her book. For as long as she could, she wanted to maneuver away from that subject. The less people who know about it the better. "I learned."

"From whom?"

"It wasn't a person, a book," Erin expect his next question, so she took the liberty of elaborating, "I found it years ago and I'm self-taught. No, I don't have the book, and no I can't teach you."

"HYDRA didn't inject you with a serum that allows you to move the shadows?"

"What? God no," Erin shook her head, "Absolutely not. I didn't even know they existed until I stumbled upon you." The Winter Soldier exhaled loudly and allowed his board shoulders to drop. A heavy weight was off of his back. Erin slightly narrowed her eyes at him, slowly putting the pieces of his questions together. She even followed the trail back to their first encounter. "Oh," she voiced her realization, "You thought I was an officer, didn't you?" He glanced at her in mild surprise, "Oh my God," she continued, "That's why you patched me up; you thought I was a test. No wonder you didn't say anything; you've been trained to not ask questions."

"A perfect soldier," he bitterly uttered.

"But, you do have questions for me," Erin made a full circle in their conversation. "I understand now. What do you need?" The Shadow Stranger asked sincerely.

"You." The Winter Soldier glimpsed at her with begging eyes; Erin shifted uneasily to his definite answer. "Since we met, I've been thinking. To Mr. Pierce, he says that's dangerous. I know that I don't want to be HYDRA's pawn anymore. I want out."

She took a moment to absorb what he was implying. "You want me to get you out?"

Behind his dark eyes, he nodded to confirm Erin's suspicions.

"I-I," she stuttered. Dumbstruck would have been an understatement to describe how she felt. "I think you have the wrong person. I mean, I would if I could. But, I'm just a girl from Wyoming; a mountain town with no remarkable achievements."

"Mountain Pass, Wyoming," he uttered. "Population: seven hundred and eighty six. One hospital, three schools, and a rural culture. Best known for the occasional sighting of the White Chested Blue Jay. Recently burned down from unknown causes-"

"Stop that."

"No bodies were recovered; only piles of ash-"

"Hey!" Erin lost her temper and raised her voice. The Winter Soldier snapped out of a recording-like state and turned to her. She was hot faced and disturbed by his cold facts. "Just, don't talk about it, okay?" Erin twisted her watery eyes away; she often talked about how small and insignificant her hometown was, but it didn't sound right coming from him. He was implying that nothing good came from the black pit that was once the land underneath the streets. She always had a plan to make a positive name for herself and help give Mountain Pass the recognition it deserved. That all was burned away almost nine months ago.

"That's what I was talking about," The Winter Soldier explained, "I can't stop being a soldier. It's all I know how to do."

The Shadow Stranger popped her knuckles out of a nervous habit and interlaced her fingers together, as if she was attending church. She rested her cupped hands on her forehead, deeply thinking. She was listening to the facts in her head, having them ricochet off each other until her blood began to simmer; he was wrong.

"There wasn't," Erin choked up at her elaboration, but she quickly regained her composure, "It wasn't seven hundred and eighty six. No, Mr. and Mrs. Temple gave birth that day. Twins. Seven hundred and eighty eight," she corrected. "They didn't even have a chance."

"What happened there?"

Erin shook her head; she still couldn't openly talk about it. Despite his good intentions, the wild haired woman was not willing to confess her sins just yet. Regret, dread, and terror were plastered on her delicate features. Muscles were tensed, eyes were darting across the room, uneasily adjusting in her seat, and her heart was beating out of her chest. Within her mind, behind her calm disposition, she was reliving the events that occurred that day. January third was a dark day.

"Okay," she inhaled deeply through her nose. "Okay, I'll help you. But there's something I have to get first."

The Winter Soldier had snuck out of her apartment in the middle of the night. Erin wasn't surprised that he left; he had a mission to complete. It took an abundance of persuasion for her to convince him to follow through his objective. He was an important asset to HYDRA, he couldn't just walk away and wash his hands clean from them. No; they had to figure out a way to make it seem as though he was dead. Otherwise, HYDRA would keep looking for him. She was familiar with the constant running and hiding lifestyle. If she could help someone avoid that she would. Their discussion carried for hours, Erin practically talking in circles so Winter could comprehend her way of thinking. For being a super soldier, he was very reluctant to murdering his newest target. She suspected that he expected to be out of HYDRA's reach that evening; she wasn't a miracle worker. It went into an elaborated explanation of why he couldn't simply walk away. If HYDRA knew he was alive, they weren't going to allow him to leave. To them, he was the ultimate weapon. The perfect soldier. Unless he created a convincing death, they wouldn't stop searching for him. It was frustrating for her, constantly repeating herself or changing her diction so he could understand. For over fifty years, he's always followed the same orders; assistante a handful of people, report back, then get cryogenically frozen until they needed him again. The Shadow Stranger had to open his mind to a new way of thinking; then she had to ensure that he wouldn't reveal his thoughts to his superiors. The easiest way she illustrated her plan was that he had to live a double life. The perfect soldier one would continue unhindered, and then he had to find her to further continue their little operation. Needless to say that Winter wasn't thrilled with the vagueness she had provided him. But there wasn't much she could do on such a short notice.

After convincing him to resume his normal habits, Erin gave an ambiguous reason why she needed to retrieve her book. Naturally, like everyone else she had mentioned the book to, he immediately didn't understand the urge for her to recover it. She had learned over the years that to the untrained eye, the book was blank and possessed no material value. Erin was the only person who could read it; which had always made her feel bitterly alone. The Shadow Stranger learned to life with the pending emotion of isolation; primarily ignoring it and trying to not get killed. Winter was spectacle of her "magic book," but she swore that if she had it she could aid him better.

That conversation was short lived as Erin couldn't help herself but yawn occasionally. Before she drifted into a peaceful slumber, she informed Winter that she would find a place in D.C., so the next time he would be utilized, he could find her more easily. Of course, she didn't like the idea of hiding right under SHIELD's nose, but after the things she had done in Mountain Pass, she needed to redeem herself. Helping The Winter Soldier break free from his HYDRA chains was just one small thing she could do to cope with her previous actions.

Around two in the morning, the wild haired girl had finally sub came to the her heavy eyes and exhausted body. With her feet crossed under her body, she eased her head onto the armrest. Before her head hit a stable support, she was out. The coffee table was littered with a rough draft of the available places she could hide in D.C. Large circles were written in red marker to indicate where she would stay. Some apartments complexes, a few under a highway ramp where she could get a shipping crate to be stationed, three were abandoned stores, and two were motels. She was board about the places she could be hiding at in case SHIELD had picked up her trail and chased her from a safe house. While Erin slept soundly on a corner of the couch, The Winter Soldier took a moment to study the locations. His precise eyes gathered cross streets and the surrounding buildings, any landmarks and possible vantage points. He memorized all of the information he needed before placing his cap over his head again.

The Winter Soldier was long gone before The Shadow Stranger regained her conscious. Batting her eyes and stretching her cramped legs outward, she popped her shoulders and rolled her stiff neck. Glancing around, she knew he was fulfilling his mission. The front door was still locked, however the window to the small balcony was left open. "Classy," she muttered.

Erin immediately noticed that something was draped over her; it was his dark colored jacket. Because she was wrapped in a tight ball on the couch, it was able to cover the majority of her. "Wow," she smiled, "I guess chivalry isn't dead, just cryogenically frozen."